'Lee Jae-myung's Second Court Confrontation' Yudonggyu: "I'm Not Saying to Punish for Something That Didn't Happen"

by Kim Daehyun

Published 14 Apr.2023 14:59(KST)

Yoo Dong-gyu, former Planning Director of Seongnam Urban Development Corporation, who appeared again as a prosecution witness in the trial of Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, on charges of 'violation of the Public Official Election Act,' targeted Lee and said, "If there is any punishment, I hope he receives it."

Lee is on trial for allegedly making false statements, including claiming he did not know the late Kim Moon-gi, former Head of Development Division 1 at Seongnam Urban Development Corporation, during his tenure as mayor of Seongnam in the 2021 presidential election process. Yoo, once a close aide of Lee, has turned against him as the prosecution's investigation into the Daejang-dong scandal intensified, providing testimony unfavorable to Lee's side.

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea (left), and Yoo Dong-gyu, former head of planning at Seongnam Urban Development Corporation, who was once his close aide but later turned against him

On the 14th, Yoo responded to reporters' questions at the Seoul Central District Court regarding his 'second courtroom confrontation' with Lee, saying, "(Lee) is not being asked to receive a punishment that does not exist. They need to take responsibility as it is," and added, "Entering politics requires a responsible attitude."

That morning, the Criminal Division 34 of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judge Kang Gyu-tae) conducted witness examination of Yoo in the continuation of Lee’s trial on charges of violating the Public Official Election Act. Yoo was the prosecution’s 'first witness' in Lee’s case and appeared in court for the second time since last month’s session on the 31st for direct examination by the prosecution. Lee’s side is expected to mount a counterattack during cross-examination scheduled for the 28th.

As in the previous trial session, Yoo emphasized that Lee, who had promoted the Daejang-dong and Wirye New Town development projects as key pledges during his tenure as mayor of Seongnam, could not have been unaware of Kim, who oversaw the projects’ practical work.

He also testified that Kim had reported face-to-face several times at the mayor’s office. When the prosecutor asked Yoo, "Do you know the process by which Kim reported to then-Mayor Lee Jae-myung?" Yoo testified, "I heard that Kim was praised, saying 'Well done,' which he liked." The reason for the praise was reportedly because Kim had signed an agreement with a private developer to 'not file lawsuits.'

When the court asked, "Why did you change your stance after Kim’s death and not initially question Lee’s falsehoods?" Yoo replied, "It’s not that I changed my stance, but I thought it was time to reveal the truth. I couldn’t just lay out all the facts at once. Just like you can’t take off all your clothes at once, there’s a process of removing layers starting with the outer coat. After I removed one layer, Lee Jae-myung’s side reacted very aggressively. I was very surprised," he said.

Earlier, Lee was indicted for allegedly publicly announcing false information in a broadcast interview on December 22, 2021, when he was the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate, claiming that Kim was a subordinate employee he did not know during his mayoral tenure. Kim was found dead in the Seongnam Urban Development Corporation office the day before Lee’s statement. He was a key figure in the Daejang-dong development scandal and was under prosecution investigation at the time.

Yoo accompanied Lee on a business trip to Australia with Kim. He revealed that he cooperated with the prosecution’s investigation because he felt betrayed by Lee’s statement that he "did not know Kim."

Lee’s side, which completely denies the charges, has raised suspicions that Yoo, who was arrested and indicted on charges related to the Daejang-dong scandal but released in October last year, was coerced by the prosecution.